Waves battered seawalls along the coast of New Hampshire and forced sections of Ocean Boulevard and Route 1A to close because of flooding.

Just before 8 a.m., high tide hit in Rye sent waves crashing against the shore. The seawall along Route 1A wasn't enough to hold back the ocean water, forcing the road to be closed in several towns.

"You'll see that it's moved benches and other things, and there's a lot of rocks and debris that make it unsafe for cars to pass through," said Hampton Police Chief Jamie Sullivan.

Officials said they are exploring whether federal funds would be available to fix the wall, which is breached often during coastal storms.

The main concern during the storm was that it would lead to coastal flooding, and some streets were waterlogged. In Hampton, a driver who ignored warning signs got stuck in 4 feet of seawater.

"No flooding, but we developed a new stream going down the middle of our street, and I came up to see what it was, and it was just the waves coming over," said Joe Lazaro, of Hampton.

Debris also clogged storm drains with seaweed. While many people were expecting the wind and the waves, the snow that accompanied the storm caught them by surprise and made for some tough driving.

"I went to bed around 11 o'clock, and there was no accumulation," said Mike Garrity, of Hampton. "It was just like the last 24-48 hours, and we woke up to 8, maybe 10 inches here, depending on the drifting."

Route 1A in North Hampton was reopened by noon, but there were concerns it would have to be closed again during high tide Friday evening.

Parts of New Hampshire, particularly in the south, got heavy snow. There were several spin-outs and major traffic tie-ups. The south side of Interstate 93 from Windham to Boston was backed up for 30 miles.

"It was ugly out there -- lots of spin-outs," said Nancy Petlon, of Dover.Nearly a foot of snow fell in some parts of the state. As it piled up, the commute became tougher.

"It usually takes me 10 minutes," said Steve Baker, of Haverhill. "Today, it took me over a half-hour."

In Salem, a car skidded in a parking lot, hitting a propane line at an industrial park. No one was injured, but first responders had to evacuate nearby office buildings while they repaired the line and removed the car.

There were more than 300 school cancellations Friday morning.

By late morning, snow was easing up in many places, and road conditions were improving. Heavy snow tapered off by early afternoon, and a warm, sunny weekend was in the forecast.

High tide started to come in around 8 p.m. Friday. People started to gather along 1A in Rye Friday night to see Mother Nature in action.

As wave watchers took pictures, they were kept at a distance as powerful waves broke over the rocks and came onto the street.

“I’ve been coming here for 30 years,” said one wave watcher. “It’s the high surf. It’s the storm. It’s the high tide. It’s the moon. Everything going together that’s going to cause it. But it’s fun. It’s entertainment.”

Waves breached the seawall again Friday. Water rushed into the street, shutting down a section of Ocean Boulevard in North Hampton.

Earlier in the day, elected officials met with representatives from the Department of Transportation and Emergency Management to discuss its near constant breaching. A police Humvee patrolled the beach in Seabrook to check on people and gauge the level of erosion. Sand has already been washed away in some spots.

“As for the houses at this end of the beach, not too bad; but as you go farther north, the water can come right up to the houses,” said Officer John Mounsey of the Seabrook Police Department.

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